Bulls ship Bok abroad for treatment

INJURY UPDATE: The Bulls are turning to Swiss medical expertise to heal one of their star players.

Bulls coach John Mitchell confirmed that Springbok wing Jamba Ulengo will travel to Switzerland for an appointment with Tendon specialist Professor Hakan Alfredson.

Ulengo suffered a tendon injury while playing for the Bulls during the 2017 Currie Cup and he has been on the sidelines since playing against the Pumas in August.

Ulengo has not been responding to the treatment given to him in South Africa and in hope of getting him ready for Super Rugby action at some stage this season, they have decided to send Ulengo overseas for help.

Speaking to reporters in Pretoria on Thursday Mitchell explained that Ulengo will be assessed by Alfredson in a fortnight.

The Bulls kick off their 2018 campaign against the Hurricanes at Loftus in just over three weeks.

"He [Ulengo] is off there [Switzerland] with an appointment on February 14, so that's great news," said Mitchell.

Mitchell thanked the franchise for their assistance in ensuring that Ulengo gets the best possible treatment.

"We [the Bulls] have to exhaust all possibilities for our athletes," he said.

"The last thing you want to do is make a decision on a potentially career-ending injury as a result of not exploring some of the best people in the world, so I really commend the club," Mitchell added.

The coach added that Ulengo is vital to the Bulls' plans going forward and the way in which he has been looked after will give all the players confidence in the franchise's ability to look after their players.

"It gives confidence to all the players that we look at maximising that opportunity because he is a big attacking winger and once he is confident again his a huge asset to us," added Mitchell.